


Velvet

by Alifredson



Series: Together Again [9]
Category: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Power Rangers
Genre: 5 Times, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Minor Celebrities, holiday party
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-21
Updated: 2021-01-21
Packaged: 2021-03-12 16:41:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28888533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alifredson/pseuds/Alifredson
Summary: Five years Tommy and Kimberly show up at Adam and Tanya’s B-list celebrity holiday party, and one year they don’t.
Relationships: Adam Park/Tanya Sloan, Kimberly Hart/Tommy Oliver, Past Katherine Hillard/Tommy Oliver
Series: Together Again [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1509686
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8





	Velvet

1998

Kim shook out her green velvet skirt again as she scanned the crowd from a corner of Adam’s living room, looking for a friendly face. Most of the group were more recent friends of Adam and Tanya and Kim felt out of place amongst the confident, well dressed B-listers that the pair rubbed elbows with working in the film and music industries.

No one was paying her any mind, so Kim skirted the edges of the room until she got to a grazing table, trying to not notice as some pole thin blonde eyed her distastefully as she loaded up her plate with cheese, fruit, and cookies.

Kim retreated back to her little alcove spot between the fireplace that extended into the living room and the far wall and slowly nibbled her way through her plate.

She shouldn’t have come.

She wasn’t sure why she had agreed.

She and Tanya managed civility, but little more. Adam, though forever connected to her through the Great Power, was still only a little more involved in her life than any of her common acquaintances. Although, he did know about her being the author behind the pseudonym published novels currently topping the New York Times Best Seller list, thus the invitation to this celebrity-only soiree.

But with no one else knowing who she was, she obviously was of no interest to Adam and Tanya’s higher profile friends. She felt out of place and the tule on her petticoat was starting to make her itch. She wanted to be at home, in sweatpants and without a bra, but here she was. And for what?

Kim saw Tanya shoot up from the couch, throwing her arms open to newcomers entering the living room from the foyer. Kat, in a gorgeous floor length pink gown, hugged her friend and former teammate. They bowed their heads together to share quick confidences, before Kat turned to look towards Kim, frowning.

Kim looked away, but not before she caught sight of Tommy in a smart suit pulling at his bow tie.

Tommy, of course, was why Kim had accepted Adam’s invitation to this holiday party, even as she knew it would be, at best, a hostile environment for her. But now that he was in the same room as her again, Kat’s perfectly manicured nails pressed into the fabric of his suit jacket sleeve, Kim found herself pressing further back into the wall, praying he wouldn’t notice her.

Two hours later, Tommy hadn’t turned to even glance her direction. He had been ushered by Kat from conversation to conversation about the room. Kat had shot her snide smiles at regular intervals. So, when the pair disappeared into the family room at the back of the house with Tanya, Kim had quickly said her goodbyes to Adam and beat a hasty retreat.

__________

1999

Tommy tried to affect a relaxed and easy persona as Helen Arnold tried to flirt with him while she couldn’t even remember his name. He had been introduce to her nearly every time Adam and Tanya had a party as Helen was Tanya’s best friend from the industry. She’d not tried flirting with him before. He supposed it’d gotten around that he and Kat had broken up.

Without a girlfriend vying for the position of Prima Ballerina and no longer on the racing circuit himself, half of the minor celebrities he’d met in previous years ignored him. Another quarter, like Helen, spent their time chasing after him. The last few who acknowledged him and remembered his name traded bits of small talk with him before moving onto someone more important.

Tommy wasn’t sure why he’d come. He’d hated these parties since the first time Adam and Tanya had insisted he and Kat come. And now, without Kat to force the issue, he would have been free to decline the invitation.

But Adam had pushed. And Tommy had a really hard time saying no to his friends.

So here he was.

Helen got distracted and Tommy retreated out of the living room, through the kitchen and family room, and outside onto the sparsely populated back patio.

There were a few little knots of people, but Tommy intended to avoid them all and enjoy his beer and little plate of plastic sword speared grapes and cheese uninterrupted. Except that his plans changed when he saw a slight brunette in a tea length green velvet dress getting a glass of wine at the manned bar over in the corner.

He caught Kim’s eye when she turned around and tried to bite back his smirk when her glass began to list a little forward. She righted it quickly, but the dark red liquid in the glass sloshed around, a bit jumping the rim of the glass and landing on the plush white rug underfoot.

Tommy rolled his eyes at the rug. Who’d put a white rug on a patio, outside, during a crowded party?

Kim looked about ready to panic, so Tommy quickly came to her side, clutched her elbow, and calmly lead her to a cluster of wicker chairs near the edge of the patio. “I won’t tell Tanya if you don’t,” he promised.

Kim smiled at him, looking relieved.

__________

2000

Kim stood outside of her car, just out of sight of Tanya and Adam’s living room windows that looked out over the front lawn. A slightly too old to be stylish BWM drove past her, parking a little closer to the house and a couple dressed to the nines exited, moving towards the front door and the party inside.

Kim glanced down at her dress. It was the same green velvet dress that she had worn to this party the two years previous. It was the fanciest and most festive dress she owned, and she loved the feel of it under her fingers and the fit of it when she caught her reflection. But, of course, All of the other ladies inside would be wearing gowns, bought new every year, and Kim was bound to feel like she stuck out like a sore thumb in a vintage dress from Goodwill, worn three years running, instead of a brand new gown that cost at least a few hundred dollars.

Kim relaxed as she saw Tommy’s Jeep, so comfortingly middle class in the sea of gaudy, affected opulence, turn into the driveway and park next to her brand new Hyundai sedan, bought with the recent royalties from the studio that was turning her first book into a movie.

“Hey,” Tommy said, smiling sweetly at her and pulling her into an easy hug. “I hope you haven’t been waiting long.”

“I haven’t.” Kim smoothed the skirt of her dress unconsciously, feeling a bit like a pauper in her dress as she saw Kat exit a vehicle further up the driveway in a gorgeous embroidered silk gown.

Kim felt Tommy’s warm palm cover the back of her hand, bringing her attention back to him. He jerked his head towards Kat and rolled his eyes, smiling wryly, seemingly implying that Kat’s dress was excessive. Kim disagreed, knowing what people generally wore to this party. Kat was dressed perfectly in line with everyone else. But Tommy’s obvious distaste for the lavishness relaxed Kim.

“This the new car you were so stressed about choosing?”

“Yep,” Kim patted the hood of her car affectionately. “This is Kara.”

“Kara?”

“That’s what I named her.”

“But why Kara?”

“I don’t know. I just felt she looked like a Kara.” Tommy laughed. Kim joined him, the surprising easiness of their renewed friendship over the last year making her feel warm all over. “I guess we should-” Kim motioned to the house.

“Yeah.” Tommy sobered quickly. Kim hated to see the smile leave his face, but they’d come here to attend this party, as Adam had reached out and asked both of them to do.

They started to walk up the driveway towards the house and Kim found that both she and Tommy were slowing the closer they got. “Do you dread this party as much as I do?” Kim whispered, just as they were about to turn onto the path that meandered up to the front door.

“Every damn year. Maybe we could just, you know, skip it?”

Butterfly wings fluttered to life in Kim’s stomach at Tommy’s we, which she immediately tried to crush, unwilling to let herself damage her friendship with Tommy on the off chance that there could be something more. And anyway, there was a reason why Tommy and Kim had come to this party. “Adam,” she reminded him.

Tommy sighed, his shoulders slumping in defeat. “How did the quietest, shyest one of us ended up in acting?”

“Voice acting,” Kim corrected. “He said he likes being able to live vicariously through so many different characters. Come on. Stop stalling. We need to get in there.” Kim squared her shoulders, grabbed Tommy’s forearm, and started marching forward. In three long strides, Tommy was even with her and repositioned her hand into the crook of his elbow.

Unwilling to look a gift-horse in the mouth and too surprised to say anything, Kim kept her mouth shut and her hand where Tommy had positioned it, determined to not move it until Tommy took his arm away.

“Promise me something, before we go in?” Kim nodded, too nervous she’d say something dumb or beg him for another chance if she tried to speak. “Save me when Helen Arnold, who can never remember my name, starts undressing me with her eyes?”

Kim laughed, his genuine discomfort evaporating most of hers. “I promise, although you’ll have to point out who that is- I haven’t been introduced to anyone who comes here. I should probably know who is who so I don’t break up a desired flirt.”

“If you see anyone one flirting with me, save me. Trust me, there’s not a woman in there that I want.”

Kim rolled her eyes and moved forward to open the door. Tommy held her back with a little tug and she glanced back to see that he was sporting another shy smile. “Hey, do you think that after we’ve said “hi” to Adam and we’ve eaten some of their stupidly expensive cheese, we can ditch this and find a pizza or something that’s actually filling?”

“Yeah.” Kim couldn’t stop the butterflies in her stomach, which were doubling in size and quantity with every second that Tommy looked at her like that. “That sounds like a good plan.”

__________

2001

Relief flooded Tommy as he spotted Aisha across the room. The relief was short-lived as he spotted the livid fury etched on her face. He pushed his way across the room to his friend and she grabbed his hand and dragged him out into the less populated foyer.

“Adam just found me,” Tommy said as soon as they’d escaped the crush of people. “Do you know where Kim is? Is she okay.”

“She’s in one of the bathrooms upstairs. I told her to lock the door and not open it unless it’s one of us.” Aisha lead him to the back staircase and began to ascend.

“What happened? All Adam said was that Kim was upset and I should go find her.”

“Tanya’s friend Helen seems to have decided that she could have at you since Kat wants nothing to do with you after the breakup.” Tommy shuddered. “I guess she’s seen you spending time with Kim at this party the last two years and decided that Kim was an obstacle that needed to be dealt with.”

Tommy’s stomach dropped. “What did she do?”

“Dumped a heaping glass of red wine over Kim’s head.”

Tommy sucked in a breath. Kim had spent almost two hours working on her hair and applying, removing, and reapplying her make-up that afternoon before they’d gotten in the car to drive down to Adam’s house. And she loved that green velvet dress. She’d be heartbroken if it was ruined and mortified if people saw her out of sorts.

Aisha turned down a hallway, the noise of the party growing more muffled, and knocked on a door. “It’s me and Tommy. Let us in.”

The handle turned, disengaging the lock. Aisha let Tommy go ahead of her and he opened the door, immediately folding Kim into his arms once he’d entered the bathroom.

“Tommy, I’ll stain your shirt.” Kim pulled her head away from his chest, but Tommy pulled her to him anyways, not caring if her running mascara stained a hundred dress shirts.

“You okay, Beautiful?”

“Yeah,” she said, but her voice was shaky and he’d seen the tear tracks that had made rivulets down her cheeks.

“I’m sorry, honey.”

Kim relaxed into his embrace and let out a little sob he figured she’d been trying to hold back. “My dress,” she whimpered desperately.

“I think I can clean it up.” Aisha said behind Tommy. She took the dress from where Kim had sat it on the countertop as she tried to wash and blot out the wine. There was a quiet click of the bathroom door closing as she took the dress away.

Tommy held Kim tight against him as she slowly began to calm down. He rocked back and forth, shushing her and running his hands down her exposed back. Eventually, he pulled back enough so he could dip down and kiss Kim.

“Better?”

Kim nodded, her face hardening slightly. “That woman is a harpy.”

“She’s insane,” Tommy agreed.

“I guess I can’t exactly blame her,” Kim said. Tommy scoffed. “I mean, I guess she saw that you were slipping out of her reach so she lashed out trying to stop it from happening.”

“I was never in her reach to begin with. And even if I had been, I’d think this signals that I’m permanently off the market anyway.” He pulled her left hand up and deposited a little kiss on her finger, just below the cushion cut emerald engagement ring he’d proposed with seven months ago.

“I don’t think you’re officially off the market until we’re wearing wedding bands, and even that isn’t all that much of a deterrent for some people. You know how Hollywood is.”

“Well, I consider myself well and truly off the market already.” Tommy promised. “But what matters to me right now is that you know how much I love and adore you.” He kissed her long and hard on the mouth. “Also, let’s not accept this invitation next year.”

Kim finally laughed. “Yeah, this party blows every year anyway. Even Aisha said she doesn’t want to come back and it’s only her first year attending.”

“You’d think children’s tv show host would get you into better parties.” Tommy joked. “Maybe next year we can have our own party.”

“I like it. We should invite Adam.”

“Adam has this party.”

“Adam hates this party,” Kim said matter-of-factly. “Why do you think he keeps begging us to come even though he knows we hate it?”

“Okay, fine. We can invite Adam too.”

__________

2002

Aisha had done an amazing job of getting the wine stain out of her dress the previous year, but Kim still searched the reflection critically in the mirror or any sign of discoloration as she pulled the pins from her hair, letting it tumble down from where it had sat piled on her head. She found no discoloration in the velvet.

Not that it would have matter now that they had arrived back home anyway.

“Unzip me?” Kim pulled her loose hair over one shoulder and presented her back to Tommy.

He came up silently behind her and pulled the zipper down. He pushed the fabric off her shoulders so it pooled on the ground around her feet. His arms banded around her waist as he pressed his chest to the back of her shoulders and nuzzled her now loose hanging hair.

After a moment, Tommy pulled his arms back just enough so he could rest his palms flat over her barely rounded stomach and splay out his fingers. “Hi, baby,” he whispered over Kim’s shoulder.

She stayed silent, knowing that he was talking not to her, but to their child. This was becoming routine; he’d started his one-sided conversations the same night, several weeks ago, after the pregnancy test confirmed their suspicions. “You were not very nice to your mom tonight; she had to keep running to the bathroom. I thought we talked about leaving mommy’s bladder alone,” he chided lightly. Kim huffed in amusement.

“I hope you weren’t trying to out us,” he continued. “You’re still too little for us to tell everyone about you.”

“But thank you for giving us an excuse to leave the party early,” Kim offered.

“Yeah,” Tommy laughed. They had been determined to skip the party this year. But Adam had begged and neither of them had been able to stand firm after he’d driven to their apartment to ask them in person. “Next year, we’re using you as an excuse, Jellybean, and we’re staying home.”

“Yep, I’m sure you’ll have us too tired to even think about parties.”

__________

2003

Tommy quietly opened the bedroom door, relieved when it didn’t squeak. He quietly padded across the room to the crib, over which the name Julia was spelled out in pastel letters hung on the wall.

Tommy carefully rested his hand on his daughter, feeling his hand rise and fall with her breathes.

A hand landed on his back and Kim’s perfume hit his nose. “Is she alright?” Kim whispered.

“She’s fine,” Tommy whispered back. He carefully caressed the side of her face with the tip of one finger before he pulled his hand away. He wrapped Kim up in his arms and for several quiet minutes they watched their daughter sleep.

“We should get some sleep. You know JJ will be up screaming for attention in no time.” Kim slipped out of his arms, but caught one of his hands, giving him a gentle tug towards the door.

He nodded, looked back on the sleeping face of his daughter, and then followed his wife out of the room. They collapsed on their bed, unshowered and exhausted.

As Kim threw her several weeks unshaven leg over his hip and they slowly drifted off to sleep, Tommy couldn’t help but think that this was a thousand times better than attending the holiday party going on at Adam’s house.

**Author's Note:**

> Dedicated to my green velvet Christmas dress. Because it’s the cutest, damnit.


End file.
